NBA Player Props and Best Bets for Tuesday, May 21

The conference finals begin this week, with the Indiana Pacers taking on the Boston Celtics in the East and the Dallas Mavericks matching up with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the West. The winners will advance to the NBA Finals, and oddsmakers have already marked the Celtics as the heavy favorites in a potential Finals series against either opponent.

Here are our favorite NBA player prop picks for the playoffs on Tuesday.

Odds for today's NBA Prop Bets are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook where new users can get $150 in bonus bets when wagering $5.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, May 21

Jayson Tatum Under 2.5 Threes (+116 at FanDuel)

The Pacers held teams to the fewest average three-point attempts and makes per game during the regular season. Although they dropped to fourth in attempts and sixth in makes in the playoffs, a lot of that had to do with the necessity of rebounding and the reallocation of players under the rim, particularly against the New York Knicks.

The Celtics love to take as many threes seemingly as they possibly can, which fits right into Indy’s strengths as a defense (which are few and far between). We expect to see them get back to their usual approach of running opponents off the perimeter, which will make it hard for Tatum to make three or more threes for just the second time in the entire postseason.

Bet on Jayson Tatum Props at FanDuel 

Derrick White Under 3.5 Threes (-158 at FanDuel)

Following the same logic above, looking at White to go under his total could be a strong play. He was sensational to start the playoffs but went under this line in three of his last four games and also went under in three of four regular-season matchups with the Pacers (although they haven’t played since January).

White will likely draw Andrew Nembhard as his defensive matchup. Although Nembhard did not provide much resistance against Jalen Brunson in the last round, he is a solid screen navigator and should be able to stick with White as he moves around off the ball looking for open shots.

Bet on Derrick White Props at FanDuel 

Tyrese Haliburton Under 3.5 Threes (-122 at FanDuel)

The scouting report for Haliburton is well known. If he goes right, he’s probably going to drive, and if he goes left, he’s probably going to pull the ball back and shoot. That makes him easier to plan for, as far as stars go, even though he went over this line in four of seven games against the Knicks.

The Celtics have tons of bodies, length, and outstanding perimeter defenders they can throw at Haliburton to try to take him off of his game. They’re also likely to involve him in their own offensive actions, which should take the energy out of his leg after he just finished a seven-game series.

Bet on Tyrese Haliburton Props at FanDuel 

Aaron Nesmith Over 9.5 Points (-130 at FanDuel)

Nesmith closed out his series against the Knicks with 19 points on a perfect 8-8 shooting, including 2-2 from three-point land. He averaged 10.5 points per game in the playoffs despite shooting the ball poorly and has extra motivation since he spent the first two years of his career in Boston.

Nesmith is going to get single-coverage and will be a help point if Boston rotates on defense. He shot 41.9 percent from beyond the arc during the regular season, and with a little bit of luck, he should find his way back to being a deadeye shooter, especially after he went over this line in three of four meetings with the C’s.

Bet on Aaron Nesmith Props at FanDuel 

Andrew Nembhard Over 2.5 Rebounds (-125 at FanDuel)

The Celtics are a solid rebounding team, but not because they have a bunch of intimidating big men. Their guards and wings are active on the glass, but that also means that the Pacers’ smaller players are going to have the same opportunities to grab rebounds of their own.

Nembhard brought down five and six rebounds in the final two games of the Knicks series and will be a benefactor of the Celtics’ tendency to take a ton of three-pointers. He went under in three of four regular-season meetings but also averaged just 16.3 minutes in those compared to 31.9 in the playoffs.

Bet on Andrew Nembhard Props at FanDuel 

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